ICCT’s marine program works to further policies that address the air-quality and climate impacts of shipping at the international, regional, national, and local (port) levels. Since 2007 ICCT research has informed the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) work on policies to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases from international shipping that include development of Emission Control Areas (ECAs), Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) targets for new vessels, controls for black carbon emissions, and, most recently, IMO’s Comprehensive GHG Reduction Strategy. Our ongoing work on air pollution and heavy fuel oil (HFO) use in Arctic shipping is building a data-driven argument for policy progress at both IMO and the Arctic Council. And the custom emissions inventory tools ICCT researchers are developing from Satellite Automatic Information Systems (S-AIS) operations data are fundamentally strengthening the evidence base available to national and local policymakers committed to reducing air pollution in coastal areas, most notably in China.

Dwindling sea ice is opening shipping routes through the Arctic, along with oil and gas development. With increased shipping activity comes an increased risk of accidents, oil spills, and air pollution. Spills of heavy fuel oil and emissions of black carbon are of particular concern for the Arctic. Heavy fuel oil is extremely difficult to recover once spilled, and the combustion of HFO emits black carbon, a potent climate pollutant. (From Prevalence of heavy fuel oil and black carbon in Arctic shipping, 2015 to 2025)

Describes trends in global ship activity and emissions for the years 2013 to 2015 and finds that emissions generally increased over this period, with efficiency improvements more than offset by increases in activity.

Compiles a high-resolution ship emissions inventory in the Greater Pearl River Delta (GPRD), a heavily populated and prosperous region with heavy ship traffic. Because this traffic contributes to poor local air quality, the Chinese government has identified the GPRD region as a key target for steps to control emissions from ships.

As the International Maritime Organization meets again in London to discuss a sectoral cap on greenhouse gas emissions, we revisit the complexity of how to assign responsibility for shipping emissions. Both countries that offshore their shipping emissions, and the flag states that absorb them, are identified. We close with a few useful principles for policymakers.

The IMO will consider concrete proposals on ways to reduce the risks of HFO at the next meeting of its Marine Environment Protection Committee, MEPC 72 in April 2018. A decision on what should be done to mitigate the risks of HFO could come as early as 2019.